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Adain of Starkhaven escaped from the Circle of the Magi in the winter of 8:76 Blessed, the coldest winter that the Free Marches had seen in decades. He decided that it was better to die a free man than remain a servant to the Chantry and broke out of the Circle's stronghold, fleeing into an unforgiving blizzard. The templars gave chase, but there was little they could do in the harsh winds and bitter cold.

They came after Adain again in the spring, tracking him to his hideout. But Adain was prepared, and he tore them to pieces with blood magic and destroyed the phylactery they used to find him. With his phylactery gone, Adain was finally free. He married a young woman from the village of Hambleton, near Markham, and dedicated the rest of his life to the study of blood and primal magic.

When Adain passed on, he left his memoirs, his magical research, and his staff to his children, one of whom was also a mage. The staff bears one notch on its shaft for every templar Adain dispatched over the course of his life.—From Codex entry: Cold-Blooded